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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Book Meme

1. One book that changed your life? As a college freshman, encountering The Stories of Premchand. One of India’s greatest writers, Munshi Premchand wrote in Urdu and Hindi, and introduced realism into a literature that was long known for favoring mythological, fantasy and historical subject matter. Premchand wrote not in a high-toned Sanskrit-derived Hindi but in the plainspoken language of the common people. (I’ve only read him in Hindi, not in Urdu.) Premchand grew up in poverty and his stories were fierce social, political and colonial critiques. They also dealt head-on with caste and gender discriminations, not a popular subject in India 100 years ago. Two of his works were adapted into films by Satyajit Ray, Sadgati (“Salvation”) and Shatranj Ke Khiladi (“The Chess Players”). More reading: a good newpaper article on him; and a collection of his stories on-line, in Hindi.

2. One book that you have read more than once? John Mehegan’s Jazz Improvisation: Tonal and Rhythmic Principles (1959). About 15 years ago, I decided to learn jazz piano after seeing The Fabulous Baker Boys (post here), but was thoroughly intimidated because I had no idea how to read or write music. For about a decade, I had played guitar, fairly seriously, but only by ear. Mehegan’s book was not easy to cozy up to at first, and is very different from today’s jazz texts. It’s rigorously terse (and when you’re a beginner, that can be infuriating) and doesn’t try to get chummy with the reader; there aren’t any warm and fuzzy pictures or figures or colors; the page layout is spare and severe; and it’s a slim 200+ pages, although packed with mondo jazz knowledge and insight. (Think Bresson’s Notes On The Cinematographer, only with illustrative snatches of sheet music strewn through it.) Its economy and aloofness remind me of the science and math texts we used in India that were authored in England; for some reason, the American texts came off a little more extroverted and informal, and seemed to work harder to grab our attention. (Or that’s my memory of it, anyway.) My copy of the Mehegan is dog-eared, written and highlighted all over, and falling apart. And I still haven’t finished all the exercises in it.

3. One book you would want on a desert island? Something large, omnivorous, digressive, its curiosity knowing no boundaries, a sort of uber-Merzbau that might serve as a microcosm of the world I left behind, “the theater of all my struggles and all my ideas,” Walter Benjamin’s The Arcades Project.

4. One book that made you cry? Ninth grade: Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms. Years later, a repeat experience upon seeing Frank Borzage’s 1932 film version with Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper.

6. One book you wish had been written? An avant-garde, non-narrative indie comics magnum opus by Jaime Hernandez, a sort of book-length version of the 6-page Dadaist strip “Easter Hunt” (see panels above).

7. One book you wish had never been written?Mein Kampf.

8. One book you are reading currently? I’m in the middle of several, including Movie Mutations, edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Adrian Martin. This book is so inspiring and enthusing and fun that I’ve rationed myself to only a few pages a day because I don’t want it to end. Next to the Mehegan above, this is the book I’ve scribbled in the most: the margins are bursting with a personal, 'parallel cinephilic narrative’!

9. One book you have been meaning to read? I picked up For Ever Godard recently, and just browsing the text and the stills, it looks like an absolute blast.

I thought Pale Fire was really funny. I chuckled at parts of Lolita, but I was more turned on than amused (I can feel flames licking at my toes).

New development: apparently I'm going after all to New York City's ongoing Imaginasian Filipino Film Festival:Imaginasian Filipino Film Festival scheduleThe films shown are all either on projected DVD or projected Betacam except Lino Brocka's "Insiang" (1976). Many of them will not have subtitles; the Imaginasian schedule will indicate which ("Insiang" is subtitled, for the record).I do still think the films are worth seeing, if only because this is possibly the only chance many New Yorkers will have to see the best the Philippines has to offer. Added incentive (for what it's worth): I'll be introducing the films at eight of the screenings, and hopefully doing a Q & A afterwards, depending on time availability. The films I'm introducing are as follows:Saturday, Oct. 14Tinimbang Ka Ngunit KulangLino Brocka 2.30Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa, Brocka, 5.00Angela Markado, Brocka, 7.30Tubog sa Guinto Brocka, 10.30Sunday, Oct. 15Himala Ishmael Bernal, 1.00Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos Mario O'Hara, 3.30Monday, Oct. 16Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos O'Hara, 6.30Insiang Brocka, 9.30I'll be the big guy with the loud voice. Hope to see you there...

"I've always resisted forming any sort of personal rules on how to judge a film. I dislike the idea of establishing a certain criteria to which a singular work must be held up to. I prefer to come to each work as open minded as possible, and for the running time of that film, let the work itself TELL ME what the rules are going to be. I think it is less effective to say "Great cinema is this, and this film is great cinema," than "This film is this, and it is great cinema."

In a Senses of Cinema interview, Craig Baldwin describes his films as, in part, things to catch your eye: "Just like you play records at a party now, well even then people would put a film on. It was just a natural thing. You don't have to watch it, you don't have to listen to it. It was just part of the mix. A light show kind of thing really." I remember reading this and thinking that it bore no resemblence to what I traditionally consider great cinema, yet it still struck me as a completely valid use of the medium. Especially in regards to experimental cinema, the pervading mentality should always be, "Why SHOULDN'T it be done?""

Thanks for the mention of Errata, Girish. I have to admit it's not the burst forth that I was hoping for, but as I perused the big board at the Mill Valley fest the other day and saw to my dismay that one of my favorite documentaries was not sold out -- and hardly mentioned in the paper -- I felt a wave of guilt for not trying harder.

Those in the Bay Area: consider dropping in to see The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez this weekend.

Indeed, it's great to see you blogging again, Rob, I'll definitely keep an eye on your site. And I'm glad you enjoyed Something Like Happiness, which was a highlight of LAFF last summer. It's one of those films I could quibble with, but overall I felt it was a very honest and absorbing drama.

And I'll definitely keep an eye out for The Short Life...--thanks for the heads up.

Yeah, Something Like Happiness was my last film at TIFF '05. I wasn't sure if I was up for one more movie -- I think Girish and I had just seen the Ferrara -- but I'm glad I stayed up. It didn't blow me away, but it was a nice end to the fest.

Thanks for the link to my Lone Pine piece, girish. I had a fun weekend, even though I had to miss the Mill Valley festival that weekend. Hopefully I can make it this weekend. Not, unfortunately, to the documentary Rob so convincingly argues for (I'll cross my fingers that the Latino Festival will bring it to a theatre on this side of the bridge later this fall; they announced their program this morning but it's not online yet).

Nice to see you back online Rob. I had to use Girish's to congratulates you because I couldn't find the comments button on your blog... ;)I second Girish, it's a good looking design. Thanks for posting your paper review of Mary. I hope you will post more of them.

I'm still polishing up a second dispatch to send to David. One of the most fun parts of the festival of course was meeting and getting to talk with Dennis Cozzalio over pizza.

Thanks for linking to that a_film_by thread, by the way. I used to faithfully read and occassionally contribute there, but drifted away for various reasons, the primary one being the clumsiness of the Yahoo Groups architecture. But since Yahoo finally overhauled that, I plan to spend some time soaking up the previously all-but-inpenetrable archives, and maybe even start reading the new stuff again.

Edi Sian interviewed me for his blog Pinoy Post: When was the last time you watched a Filipino movie?Excerpt:If there is one thing Filipinos love to do it is watching movies in theaters. It is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment in the Philippines. The cinema offers a temporary escape into another world where Sharon Cuneta is accused of being "a second-rate, trying hard, copycat" or Kris Aquino's Dida matches Rene Requesta's Pido. But, this proud history of Philippine cinema that stretches way back to the Sampaguita, LVN, Premiere era is sadly being swamped by a tsunami of Hollywood blockbusters. So, how did Philippine cinema, once the most prolific in Asia, end up where it is right now? Pinoy Post devotes 45 minutes to the state of the Filipino movie industry with Filipino film critic, Noel Vera. Noel is the resident film critic of BusinessWorld Philippines. He maintains a blog devoted to movies and he has also written a book on Philippine cinema called Critic After Dark.

1. One book that changed your life? Joseph Heller's "Catch-22." (Which later led me to "Something Happened" and Kafka's "The Trial" and "As I Lay Dying" and "Lolita" and Beckett and Albee and Bunuel and...) I was 15 and it was like finding something that showed me how to see the world, and reflected my own perception back. Every day I witness horribly funny, tragic, absurd things that were first revealed to me in all their horror, funniness, tragedy and absurdity in "Catch-22."

2. One book that you have read more than once? The collected works of Edward Gorey. They are endlessly deep and hilarious. I have a Gorey dog (to remind me of my dog Frances) tattooed on my left arm and The Insect God tattooed on my right.

3. One book you would want on a desert island? Something huge and inexhaustible. Like maybe the collected e.e. cummings.

4. One book that made you cry? "Mrs. Dalloway." Almost all the way through.

5. One book that made you laugh? "Lolita."

6. One book you wish had been written? My masterpiece.

7. One book you wish had never been written? It's tough to say which "holy book" has been more ruinous, but since I live in what some people still insist is a "Christian country" (much to the detriment of Christians and the country), I'll say the Bible.

8. One book you are reading currently? I never have just one. At this moment, I've started Chekov's "Collected Stories" (haven't ever read 'em all), Bob Woodward's "State of Denial" and a volume of (literally) awesome short stories selected by other writers called: "You've Got to Read This." And I just got Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" in the mail.

9. One book you have been meaning to read? I only know two people who've read it: Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" (the opus formerly known as "Remembrance of Things Past")

I had to make this a separate post. You mention "The Fabulous Baker Boys." Shot in Seattle -- specifically, in my home away from home, Lower Post Alley in the Pike Place Market. If you have it on DVD (for some reason it's out of print just now) look at one of the establishing shots of the entrance to the green neon-lit jazz club (Harry's?). To the right, you'll see a smaller pink neon sign that says "CINEMA." (And, I can't remember, but you may also be able to see the old brass bank doors.) That's the Market Theater, which I booked along with my dear friend (the owner) Ann in the mid-1980s. In other shots, you may be able to see posters for some of our films: "Stop Making Sense," "Stranger Than Paradise," "The 4th Man," "Utu," "28 Up," "Sherman's March"...

I was working as a critic in LA when "FBB" came out, and was at the height of my homesickness. Afterwards, the publicist (a friend, who knew better than to ask) wanted to know what I thought of the movie. I blurted out: "Our alley was in it three or four times!!!"

So far I've been disappointed by my horror selections this October: The Fog might be the first John Carpenter film I don't particularly care for, and Red Eye wasn't nearly as interesting as I hoped it would be...

So, since the snowstorm, Buffalo's been without electricity or heat. I've been sleeping in my winter clothes, using my dog as a feet-warmer, and bailing a couple of hundred buckets of water daily from the sump in the basement.

This evening I stole way across town for a hot meat-and-potatoes-and-beer meal with my friends Mike and Susan (first non-canned-food meal in a few days; they live in one of the few unaffected neighborhoods), and I'm using their Internet connection for a few minutes. (I'm such a cyber-addict--it's been hard living without the Net). It may be a few days before we get power and heat back; until then it's back to survivalism for a few more days.

Dennis, sorry I couldn't take part in your Aldrich blog-a-thon, but I'm looking forward to all the reading when we get our electricity back in a few days.

The Fog is okay, as an exercise in, uh, scare tactics; don't ask for logic, it's too inconsistent (If you think that's bad, you should see the remake). Red Eye I haven't seen, but I've stopped carring for anything by Craven.

The current snow debacle in Buffalo brought to mind my own adventures up in the fringes of Western New York. It must've been 1976 or 1977 when, living and learning at Niagara University, the area was hit by a massive blizzard, stopping all traffic for days and thousands going without electricity for over a week.

In the dorms we did what we could to amuse ourselves, though there was no escape from the campus and the meal portions down at the cafeteria were getting noticeably smaller by the day. Between the ugly prospect of starvation and our youthful inexperience with peril, it was just a matter of time until we hit bottom and went into Lord of the Flies mode.

Just as I was preparing to plunge a knife and fork into my roomate, who was beginning to look like a steak dinner, God intervened and, miracle of miracles, the first truck was spotted down the road. As so many of us had our pale faces pressed up against the windows in hopes of seeing such a vision, there was a cheer audible across the campus. It grew even louder once we saw what was written on the side of that divine chariot: Budweiser.

Flickhead, you were actually here for the blizzard of '77? It's legend around these parts. The truck that's going to do it for us this week is not Budweiser but National Grid (the power company)! Haven't seen one in our neighborhood yet.

Tuwa, I e-mailed you of course, but I'm going to post my reply to your question here, too, just in case anybody out there wants to talk Carpenter...

Ah, John Carpenter! I enjoy his work in much the same way that I enjoy Verhoeven--they're curiously trashy directors. By which I mean the specific ways that they interpret "conventional genre films" are generally puzzling, and when I'm watching their films I find myself re-thinking my ideas about "conventional," my ideas about "genre." I felt this way just the other day watching The Dirty Dozen. It looks like a gung-ho jingoistic Hollywood war film. But to make all of your protagonists criminals and murderers... well, that's a whole new ball game.

Thanks, Peter. Now they're saying by the weekend, which appears a long while away.

"I have a boring job and a short attention span, so it's easy!"

Andy, you're too modest!It's been a long time, but I remember enjoying Christine, Halloween and Assault on Precinct 13. I've heard somewhere that They Live is an interesting political film but I've never seen it.

Ah, thanks, Andy. Like you, his films have often left me puzzled. I'm not sure I like They Live as much as you do, but we probably had the same reaction to The Fog. Of the others, I've seen only Halloween and Christine, both some time ago. I'm past due a reassessment of his work, which was why I asked. Thanks for the recommendations.

Andy: I've been a fan of Carpenter's since "Assault on Precinct 13" (which I remember presenting -- in 35mm 'Scope) during a "critic's choice" series at the Seattle Film Festival in the late 70s/early 80s). Other favorites (besides the obvious "Halloween") are: "They Live!" and "Prince of Darkness" (and I'm fond of "The Fog" and "Escape From NY," too). Carpenter gave me one of the best interviews I've ever had. We sat one cloudy moring at Ben Frank's on Sunset and ranted and railed and laughed about "They Live!" and the invasion of Reagan Republicans from Outer Space. As you might expect from his films, he was very smart, politically astute, knowledgeable, passionate, bitter, hopeful and hilarious.

I like some of Carpenter's wilder films, where he abandons Hawks and goes for--I don't know, a Bava and Bunuel collaboration. Thinking of Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness. Cigarette Burns is in this strain, but somehow it seems too simple, a ripoff of the Rites of Spring premiere.